By Marcus Lee — Uncoordinated as a child. Still not very coordinated. Found something anyway.
Last updated: April 2026
I dreaded gym class. Every single time.
Two captains. They took turns picking names. The good athletes went first. The okay ones went next. I was always in the last group. Sometimes the very last.
I was not angry about it. I understood. I was not good at basketball. Or soccer. Or anything that involved a ball, a net, or running while looking in a different direction.
I told myself I was not a sports person. Some people are. I am not. That was fine.
Then, in my twenties, a friend invited me to go rock climbing. Indoors. With ropes. I almost said no. But I went.
And for the first time, I was not the worst person in the room.
What Was Different About Climbing
In basketball, everything happens fast. You have to react. You have to coordinate with other people. You have to make split-second decisions.
In climbing, nothing is fast. You hang there. You look at the wall. You figure out where to put your hand next. If you make a mistake, you do not fall. You just try a different hold.
There is no team to let down. No one yells at you to pass the ball. No one is counting your mistakes.
It is just you and the wall. And your own pace.
That was exactly what I needed.
What I Learned About Being “Not a Sports Person”
I was not bad at all sports. I was bad at the sports my school happened to teach.
Basketball. Volleyball. Soccer. Softball. That was it. That was the whole menu. If you were not good at those, you were not good at sports.
But there are hundreds of sports. Climbing. Bouldering. Hiking. Swimming. Cycling. Rowing. Archery. Fencing. Ultimate frisbee is different from regular frisbee. Pickleball is not just for old people.
I had never tried any of these. I assumed I would be bad at all of them. That assumption was wrong.
| Sport | Why It Worked for Me |
|---|---|
| Climbing | Slow. Individual. Problem-solving. |
| Swimming | No ball. No teammates. Just move. |
| Cycling | No one can see how red my face is. |
| Hiking | Literally just walking. |
What Changed
I am not a great climber. I climb at the easiest levels. I take breaks. I fall sometimes.
But I show up. I try. I get better slowly.
And I stopped calling myself “not a sports person.” Now I say “I am not good at team ball sports.” That is more accurate.
That small change mattered. It opened up the possibility that there might be something out there for me. And there was.
What I Am Not Saying
I am not saying everyone can find a sport they love. Some people genuinely do not enjoy moving their bodies that way. That is fine.
I am not saying you should force yourself to do something you hate. Life is too short.
I am just saying: if you think you are “not a sports person,” ask yourself which sports you have actually tried. If the answer is only the ones from gym class, you have not tried enough.
A Few Questions to Ask Yourself
Do I dislike sports, or do I dislike being watched?
Climbing gyms are full of people failing. No one looks at you. Everyone is looking at the wall.
Do I dislike sports, or do I dislike competition?
Try swimming laps. No one wins. You just go back and forth.
Do I dislike sports, or do I dislike being bad?
Being bad is how you start. Everyone was bad once. Even the people who picked first in gym class.
The Bottom Line
I was picked last in gym class. I thought that meant sports were not for me.
Turns out, the sports they taught in gym class were not for me. That is different.
There is something out there for almost everyone. You just have to look past basketball and soccer.
Climbing was mine. Yours might be something else. But you will not find it by sitting on the couch telling yourself you are not a sports person.
About the author: Marcus Lee is not a professional athlete. He is just someone who was bad at gym class and found something he liked anyway.
This article reflects personal experience. Different people enjoy different activities. What worked for one person may not work for another.
